London, 13 December 2000 - Global VideoCom Group, the videoconferencing
services company, has announced a strategic agreement with Polycom, Inc.,
a worldwide leader in broadband communication solutions, for interactive
video communications over the Internet. Under terms of the agreement,
Polycom's worldwide reseller network will act as downstream application
service providers (ASPs) for Global VideoCom's Internet Protocol
(IP)-based videoconferencing services, http://www.video-on-the.net

This agreement marks an expansion of Global VideoCom's existing access
channels to its Web-based videoconferencing service. Polycom customers
will be able to subscribe to services through existing channel partners,
giving them access to Global VideoCom's Web portal, which offers
scheduling and conference management services through any Web browser.

Phil Sewell, managing director of Global VideoCom, commented: "Our
business-quality, Web-based videoconferencing solution has put us in a
market-leading position. Polycom customers will now be able to take
advantage of the business benefits offered by such an innovative service,
further validating our IP videoconferencing strategy."

Richard Reid, managing director of Polyspan, said: "Today's announcement
is a significant step for Polycom in the evolution of our portfolio of
products and services. Global VideoCom has demonstrated a commitment to
developing and delivering innovative services, so an agreement of this
nature offers the best way of providing advantage to our customers."

This agreement comes shortly after the August announcement that Global
VideoCom has entered a reseller agreement with Polycom's European
subsidiary, Polyspan, enabling Global VideoCom to provide Polycom
equipment to both existing and new customers. It complements a number of
agreements signed earlier this year between Global VideoCom and specialist
equipment and service providers, to offer best-of-breed solutions to its
customers. Through this series of agreements, Global VideoCom has
successfully positioned itself as a world-leading provider of IP
videoconferencing services.

Polycom offers a comprehensive portfolio of voice and video communications
equipment, both for traditional ISDN-based conferencing and the rapidly
growing market in IP conferencing applications. This fits in very neatly
with the services offered by Global VideoCom to its clients, ranging from
a "self-service" IP videoconferencing service to a fully equipped,
dedicated videoconferencing suite and all the suite's attendant hardware,
software and services.

Global VideoCom is pioneering a new way of delivering videoconferencing
services to customers. Using an application service provider (ASP) model,
the company delivers videoconferencing applications to clients via a
connection to PSINet's global managed ATM network, offering all the cost
and reliability advantages of IP without sacrificing the quality of
service and low latency required for successful videoconferencing. This
service, called video-on-the.net, allows companies to integrate
videoconferencing requirements with a wider corporate communications
strategy, brought on by the convergence of voice, data and video
networking technologies. Wainhouse Research estimates that the market for
IP-based ASPs - including videoconferencing - will reach $12 billion by
2005.

Polycom's portfolio of end-point equipment includes personal, conference
room and boardroom videoconferencing equipment, in addition to a full
range of audio conferencing and collaborative working solutions. This
portfolio will be integrated into Global VideoCom's client offerings, both
as an additional end-point platform choice for ISDN-based conferences and
to enhance the video-on-the.net package.

About Global VideoCom

Since its inception in 1996, Global VideoCom has focused on providing
communications products and services that offer best-performance solutions
to a diverse range of users. To deliver on this strategy, it has
continuously utilised the most innovative technology and provided a wide
range of support services, thus offering tailored solutions that meet the
individual needs of its clients. In April 2000, Global VideoCom launched
a new division, Globalevideo, in order to service the demand for
video-on-the.net, its new ASP-based videoconferencing solution. With a
new Headquarters and Network Communications Centre having opened in Slough
in November 2000, Global VideoCom has 3 UK sites, through which it
provides for the rapid deployment of engineering staff to support its
global clients. Its increasing international focus will extend to include
offices in the US, Amsterdam, Geneva, Tokyo and Sydney by early 2001.

Polyspan develops, manufactures and markets high-quality, easy-to-use
communications equipment that enables enterprises to leverage increased
bandwidth to conveniently conduct voice, video and data communications,
and to access broadband network services. The company has a strong base of
strategic partnerships, developing a range of IP-based products and VoDSL
solutions, including alliances with Cisco Systems, Lucent and Nortel
Networks.

Polyspan is a subsidiary of Polycom, Inc. and is the operating company of
Polycom in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Based in Oxford,
United Kingdom it operates in EMEA through a network of distributors and
value-added resellers, including Siemens, BT and Deutsche Telekom.

· In November 2000, Polyspan was rated as the world-wide market leader in
unit shipments and revenue market share in the group video conferencing
market for the third consecutive quarter by independent industry analyst,
Wainhouse Research

· In November 2000, Polyspan was rated as the world-wide market leader in
unit shipments market share in the desktop video conferencing market by
independent industry analyst, Wainhouse Research